Welcome to another Organize Now day! Today we are finishing the section of Organizing ourselves with a post about Organizing our cleaning schedules. Another HUGE one for me!
If you are just getting on board, you can catch up with our previous posts about organizing our schedules, priorities and mind and life vision HERE.
Cleaning is not something that I LOVE to do, but it is something I HAVE to do. Once I am doing it though, and the house is clean, it feels so good! I know some people who truly love to clean. I am not one of them. I have found however, that by doing a little bit each day things don’t get out of control and we have a happier and more relaxed home. Has that happened to you?
I like to think of cleaning as exercise. That is a suggestion that Jennifer Ford Berry has in her book and it has been a motivation for me. 
She goes on to say that, “staying on top of your cleaning is crucial to staying organized.” So true!
There are so many cleaning schedules and information on the topic online. I found one awhile back that I liked because it wasn’t an overwhelming amount of things it said to do each day. For example, this is what I try to do daily. (some days I don’t and I am ok with that. I just jump in on the next day and don’t stress about the schedule)
I do try for weekly because if I miss a chore, then I can catch it next week and I don’t feel like I need to double up the next day. One of my friends with 3 small kids, does one of these big jobs each week. That way she has all week to accomplish it. You need to find what is do-able and works best for you and your family.
4. Keep Disposable Disinfecting Wipes in Each Bathroom
This is a great tip! We have 3 bathrooms in our house and I didn’t (until I read this!) keep a set in each one. I have found that it really is nice and so easy for quick wipe downs between big cleanings. (and it makes the big cleanings seem not as big because there is less to do!) We use these wonderful Germ Off Wipes which are awesome for quick disinfecting and deodorizing and are bleach and alcohol-free! A safe, easy and environmentally friendly choice to use around my young family and I really love that!
5. Minimize Your Cleaners
Another great idea for saving space and time. We actually did this over 2 years ago when we started using Basic H2 Concentrate(my all-time favorite cleaner!!). We used to use so many different cleaners and my under the sink area was crowded. I had to clean when my son was napping because they weren’t safe for him to breathe in or be around. When we switched to Basic H2, I had so much more room under my sink and felt so much better cleaning around my kids. It was great! In fact, my first blog post last year was about how my family de-toxed our home by going from over 20 toxic cleaners to only 3 non-toxic ones to clean the entire house! You can read that post HERE complete with some good before and after pics.
Additional Tips from Jennifer
1. Take a basket around the house while you clean it. When you find something that doesn’t belong, put it into the basket and put it away later. I love this tip!
2. Right after a meal, wipe down the kitchen counters (We love the Basic H2 for this!) and load dishes into the dishwasher or wash them by hand. This is something that I have not been great at since becoming a mom 3 years ago. But lately I have gotten back into the routine and let me tell you, it been so great! It keeps the kitchen from getting out of control. If the dishes are out of sight or clean, it has a way of making the whole kitchen (and house!) look a lot cleaner. Don’t you think? I also have been washing the big pots and pans as I cook. Makes for less dishes and clutter on the counters later.
I always admire my parents, who have lived in the same house for over 40 years and have never had a dishwasher!! After every meal, they just do the dishes. It’s part of the routine and the kitchen looks clean because of it. My parents have used this Dish Wash Concentrate for 37 years now! Would you believe that they have only had to call a plumber once during that time and have never used any type of drain cleaner in their sink? It’s because the dish concentrate is a degreaser so it helps to keep the pipes clean. And it saves them (and my family since we use it too!) money because it’s so concentrated. We only use a couple of drops per load of dishes and one on the sponge!
For my dishwasher, I love this Dishwasher Automatic Concentrate. I only use about a teaspoon for a load of dishes! Both are green products so they are safe for my family, the environment and work so well. Love that!
3. “If your house is difficult to clean, you have too much stuff!” We definitely have too much stuff in my house, which is one of the motivators for this blog series. I am just so tired of dealing with stuff and want to reduce! We have started making more trips to Goodwill to donate (great lesson for the kids when we donate toys) and also have been selling things at the pawn shop. I never thought to do that but my husband loves the show “Pawn Stars” (I’ll admit that I like it too!) and he wanted to try to sell his guitar and amps and some other things that he no longer uses. And you know, we got some good money back on it! We have also sold things on craigslist and garage sales in the past.
Thanks again for reading and have a great day! Next week, we will go into the new section – organizing our papers. The first chapter is about organizing your personal information.
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